


Oddities

by driftingskies237



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Arthur Knows About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), Established Relationship, Fluff, Idiots in Love, M/M, Misunderstandings, Protective Arthur, Secretive Merlin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:27:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28225362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/driftingskies237/pseuds/driftingskies237
Summary: Merlin is acting strange, and Arthur tries to get to the bottom of it since no one else seems to be too concerned.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 143
Collections: Merthur Week 2020





	Oddities

Merlin has been acting strange recently. Of course, Arthur has known that Merlin has an air of oddness about him since he first stepped foot in Camelot, back when they were both boys instead of men. The moment Arthur set eyes on the pale, gangly boy severely lacking in social conduct and etiquette, he knew that there was something unique about the boy. And for some reason, it was that strangeness with a hint of mystery that pulled Arthur toward Merlin in the first place, even if he didn’t understand it at the time. Then, Merlin revealed his magic to Arthur, teary eyed and trembling in the dark and damp forest, the mysteriousness of Merlin began to reveal itself. It all started to make much more sense after a brief period of anger and confusion.

But the magic isn’t the main thing that makes Merlin so unique. It was only after it was revealed that Arthur understood that. It’s Merlin’s kind nature, the way he always goes out of his way to help others in need of comfort, even complete strangers. It’s his brash stubbornness as he protests to nobles in ways that would make most gape. It’s his humor and comebacks, the way he throws back insults as fast as he can take them as his eyes sparkle with jest. It’s his smile, that can make Arthur’s bubbling anger simmer to a halt and make him feel like everything is peaceful, if only for a moment. All of these things and more, these unique things about Merlin, made Arthur fall in love with his idiot manservant.

After more than two years of being together romantically, the mysteries and oddities of Merlin continue, but nothing like recently. In fact, Arthur’s hardly ever seen Merlin act in such a way before. Arthur’s not worried, of course, but he decides to ask around just to be safe.

He approaches Gwen first, who remains one of Merlin’s closest friends to the day. After Arthur ended his relationship with Gwen, she was a bit jumpy around him for a while. That jumpiness was quickly remedied when she realized how Arthur was pining for Merlin. In fact, she was one of the meddlesome inhabitants of Camelot who tried to help get them together (not that he would ever admit it, but Gwen did help them get over themselves and admit their feelings eventually).

“Good day, _my Lord_ ,” Gwen nods in greeting, sarcasm coming out at the formal title. 

“I see Merlin’s bad habits are rubbing off on you still,” Arthur complains, trying and failing to hold back a smile.

“Please, you’re just too easy to annoy. Besides, you know very well that I have my own tricks. Merlin and I trade ideas on how to bother you all the time.”

“Speaking of Merlin,” Arthur begins, “Have you noticed him acting…strange?”

Gwen giggles. “Oh, Arthur, you’ve been with him for so long, haven’t you noticed before now?”

“Trust me, I know all about how strange Merlin can be, but that’s not what I mean. I mean stranger than _usual_.”

“How so?”

“Take yesterday, for example…”

_The day before_

“What in the world are you doing?” Arthur asks, staring at the complete disaster that’s been made of his chambers, with Merlin in the center of it all.

“Hm?” Merlin replies blearily, as he continues to toss stuff out of one of Arthur’s chests onto the ground.

“Hey! This stuff is valuable you know. Unlike your belongings, mine need to be carefully handled,” Arthur says with a glare. Expecting Merlin’s usual comeback, Arthur pauses and waits, but Merlin simply ignores him and continues rifling through his personal belongings.

“ _Mer_ lin!”

“Sorry, need to go somewhere,” Merlin decides suddenly, standing so abruptly he nearly knocks against Arthur. “I might be gone for a bit. Druid business.”

He kisses Arthur on the cheek, still looking distracted, before clambering out of Arthur’s chamber, door swinging shut with a hard thud. Arthur is left standing in the middle of his chambers which remain a mess.

_Present time_

“So Merlin didn’t clean up your chambers and left without an explanation? Seems like the typical Merlin to me,” Gwen says.

“That wasn’t the odd part! The odd part is that Merlin didn’t tease me at all! No insults, no sarcasm, no bickering. It was completely unlike him.”

“You’re the one who’s always complaining about Merlin’s teasing, so you should be happy about it.”

“I know, but it was just so…unnerving. He’s not acting like himself at all. I’m worried that somethings wrong, maybe someone enchanting him or possessing him or something.”

Gwen places a comforting hand on Arthur’s upper arm, squeezing gently. “I think you’re overthinking this, Arthur. His mind was probably just on other things at the time.”

“But this wasn’t just a one-time occurrence! It’s been happening constantly. It’s as if he’s constantly thinking of something else that he refuses to tell me about. The other day, I told a whole story about my father coming back from the dead as a fairy princess. I asked Merlin if he thought Uther would make a good princess, and he simply agreed, completely serious and obviously not paying attention.”

Gwen stammers, “I-I mean, does Merlin ever pay attention to everything you say. You have to admit, you tend to complain and lecture a lot.”

“Ugh!” Arthur groans, hands running through his hair. “Can nobody else tell how off he is?!”

“Sorry, Arthur, I haven’t really noticed. He seems normal to me.”

So Gwen is a dead end in terms of understanding what is happening with Merlin. The next person he decides to see on this spontaneous “quest” of his is Gwaine, which he immediately regrets once Gwaine starts talking. Where Gwen provides reassurance and reasonable explanations, Gwaine provides instability and annoyance. Not to mention, he has to deal with the stench of daytime mead and hangovers in the Tavern, where Gwaine is of course already nursing a mug.

“Maybe he’s having an affair. I saw him and Percival chatting it up earlier,” Gwaine says.

Arthur glares. “Gwaine, _you’re_ dating Percival. Besides, if anyone is chatting Merlin up, it would be you.”

“I can’t deny that, but Merlin is quite a catch. I know I’ve seen Martha eyeing him at the Tavern.”

“Martha is older than my father—can’t you be serious, Gwaine! This is not a joking matter. Merlin could be in trouble.”

Gwaine tosses his feet up on the table unbothered, taking a long sip of mead. “Merlin’s an all-powerful warlock. I’m sure he’s fine.”

“Yes, but he’s also a self-sacrificing idiot who always walks into danger.”

Gwaine hums in thought. “True, true. Maybe he’s being roasted over the fire by a clan of hungry sorcerers.”

Arthur gets too frustrated with Gwaine after that, stomping out of the Tavern as Gwaine cheerily waves him goodbye. So far, it seems as if no one even cares about Merlin’s well-being besides Arthur. As usual, it seems as if it’s up to Arthur to deal with him.

Arthur’s last attempt is Gaius. As a mentor and father-figure to Merlin, Arthur suspects that Gaius will surely be concerned at his ward acting stranger than normal. So, as he exits the Tavern, Arthur heads toward the Physician’s chambers.

Gaius is just finishing grinding some ingredients as Arthur enters. He looks up as Arthur walks in and greets him, “Hello, sire. What can I do for you?”

“Gaius, I fear Merlin may be under an enchantment.”

Gaius frowns, bracing himself against the edge of the table. “My, my, that is a worrisome thought. He could be in danger if that is the case. May I ask why you believe this to be true, sire?”

Finally, Arthur found someone taking his concerns seriously! He sighs in relief before explaining to Gaius all of the strange things that Merlin has been doing. Gaius listens raptly, nodding his head solemnly as Arthur recounts his evidence.

“…And I can’t think of any other possible reasoning besides an enchantment!” Arthur finishes, throat sore from his loud talking.

“I see,” Gaius says. Arthur looks at him, waiting for him to say more, but he doesn’t say anything.

“Well? What do you think? Is he in trouble? A vengeful sorcerer? A magical beast? A spell gone wrong?” Arthur presses.

Gaius simply states, “I think you should talk to Merlin, sire.”

“I’ve been trying! He’s been ignoring me, and when I do see him, he almost looks nervous, as if I’m going to discover a secret. It must be an enchantment, yet another plot to bring me down. Someone has enchanted Merlin to kill me, and this person trying to keep his plan of murder a secret!”

“If Merlin has been acting like this for a while, though, why wouldn’t he have already killed you?” Gaius asks sensibly.

Arthur growls in frustration. “I don’t know! Maybe the sorcerer is trying to mess with me! That’s what it is. They’re trying to make me think I’m crazy, that I’m imagining all of this, but I’m not. Something is seriously wrong with Merlin, and I’m going to figure out what. Do you know where he is right now, Gaius?”

“I believe he is still with the Druids, sire.”

“The druids, of course! They’ll know something is wrong. If anyone asks, let them know I’ll be gone for the remainder of the day, Gaius. I will save Merlin.”

Gaius blinks, and turns around to go back to his mixing. “Goodbye, sire.”

Arthur ignores Gaius’s indifference for now, mind focused on getting his Merlin back to him. He has a stable hand ready his horse, and he rides out of Camelot. The side where Merlin normally is empty, of course, and it feels wrong. Hopefully, Arthur can get this all sorted out. He has to.

Luckily, the druid encampment isn’t too far. After welcoming magic back into Camelot, many of the druids decided to settle closer to the city, within the borders for protection but not directly in the heart of the kingdom. As this is one of the only camps Merlin frequents, Arthur hopes that he’ll be able to find Merlin there safe and sound. Maybe, the druids have even noticed the strange air about Merlin and found a remedy.

As he rides into the druid camp, he hears whispers and sees stares. He ignores these, though, as he’s solely focused on finding Merlin. Just as he’s about to give up, he sees Merlin exiting a nearby cave. He wears his elegant, midnight blue cloak that Arthur gifted him as a courting present. He’s smiling and laughing with another druid, but the minute he spots Arthur, he freezes.

“A-Arthur?” Merlin stutters, looking around as if for an escape route.

Arthur hops down from his horse, walking the remaining distance to Merlin. “Merlin! I think you’re under an enchantment. We need to get you help. I’ll talk to one of the druids, perhaps Iseldir if he’s here—”

“What? I’m not—”

“I know you don’t think so, but you’re being enchanted right now Merlin, most likely in another plot to kill me.”

“Arthur?! What are you talking about?”

“Ransacking my chambers, acting strangely nervous around me, sneaking off without telling me, a lack of affection, not bickering like normal: Someone is enchanting you. It seems as if it’s only relegated to me, though, as everyone else thinks you’re acting normal. Can enchantments active for specific people? Because if that’s the case—”

Merlin plants a firm hand on Arthur’s shoulder and steers him off so they’re away from the others. “Arthur, I am _not_ enchanted! Stop acting crazy. I know I’ve been acting a bit guarded around you, but it’s not because I’m being enchanted, I promise.”

Arthur blinks in confusion. “Wait, was Gwaine actually right? Are you having an affair with Percival?”

Merlin bursts out laughing, “You went to Gwaine for help? And actually believed him?”

“Well what else am I supposed to think! I’m worried about you, Merlin, and nobody else seems to be.”

Merlin’s expression softens, and he cups Arthur’s cheek. His eyes meet Arthurs, loving and trusting, and in that moment, Arthur knows for certain that this is his Merlin. Merlin isn’t being enchanted. Merlin is himself.

“I’m sorry I worried you,” Merlin murmurs. “I figured you’d be too much of a clotpole to realize it.”

“Hey!”

Merlin laughs sounds again, loud and bright like bells. “I said I’m sorry! Ugh, you’re so frustrating sometimes, you know?”

“ _Me_ frustrating?!”

“Yes you! If you had just waited until tonight—”

“Tonight?”

“Let me finish,” Merlin chastises, smiling softly at him. “If you had just waited until tonight, waited until we actually got everything set up, it would have been so much more romantic. There would have been candles and music and flowers, all set up under the starlight, with plenty of homemade goods. And I could actually give my speech to you, which I spent so long on by the way, but instead I’m giving this ridiculous, impromptu speech because you’re an impatient prat—”

“I was worried!”

“—fine, a _sweet,_ stubborn impatient prat who questions his friends that are sworn to secrecy. And now, I have no choice but to do this here.”

Merlin gets down on one knee. Arthur’s jaw hangs open wide.

And he pulls out a ring, still glowing as if it were just pulled from the hearth, and asks “Clotpole, will you marry me?”

Arthur stares at him, still making sense of everything. “You—you’re an idiot.”

“But you love me.” There’s no question in Merlin’s eyes, no doubt or hesitance in his words, just sincerity.

Arthur swallows, afraid that he’ll actually start crying, and he can’t have that. He kneels on the grass with Merlin, letting Merlin slip the ring on his finger. It fits perfectly.

“Unfortunately, I do.” He can’t hold back any longer and brings Merlin into a passionate kiss, pouring all of his love and affection into it. Merlin kisses him back, intertwining their left hands, with Arthur’s now endowed with a brand-new ring. They break apart, panting and all smiles.

The moment comes back to Arthur as he realizes they’re both kneeling in filthy mud, surrounded by applauding druids, both looking a bit worse for wear. Arthur can’t help but laugh. Leave it to them to have the strangest proposal ever. Arthur gets up, offering Merlin a hand up, as well.

On the ride back, Merlin on his own horse in his rightful place beside Arthur, he finally gets the whole explanation. Merlin had been planning on proposing for a while, but he was worried about everything being perfect. The day he was ransacking Arthur’s chambers, he was looking for a ring to get the perfect measurement for the wedding ring. The druids offered to help him make the ring, hence the reason he was at the druid camp. Of course, all of Camelot seemed to be in on it as well, as they were helping set up everything for tonight and distracting Arthur.

As they ride back into Camelot just before sunset, their friends are already at the gate with knowing looks on their faces. They immediately see the smiles and ring on Arthur’s finger. Percival passes Leon and Gwaine some gold, and Gwaine mutters under his breath, “I told you they wouldn’t be able to wait.”

It was a strange proposal, not what any of them had planned on, but Arthur wouldn’t have it any other way.


End file.
